Deadly Collision Crushed Captain’s Cabin of USS Fitzgerald

Bodies of seven U.S. sailors recovered after the U.S. destroyer collided with the ACX Crystal

The USS Fitzgerald, a U.S. Navy destroyer, collided with a Japanese cargo ship in a highly trafficked shipping lane south of Tokyo. The accident is under investigation. Photo: European Pressphoto Agency

YOKOSUKA, Japan—As most of its crew slept on Friday night, the USS Fitzgerald passed through one of Japan’s busiest shipping lanes just south of Tokyo, a watch crew assigned to guide its passage.

In a period of seconds, a 29,000-ton cargo ship loaded with containers plowed into its right side, crushing a large section of the destroyer’s main structure, including the captain’s cabin and sleeping quarters for 116 sailors below the waterline. Seawater flooded in through a large gash.